Charles Siebert, ‘Trapper John, M.D.’ Star, Dead at 84

Charles Siebert, who starred as the snooty Dr. Stanley Riverside II on all seven seasons of CBS’ Trapper John, M.D., died earlier this month. He was 84. Siebert died of COVID-related pneumonia at the University of California San Francisco Medical Center on May 1, his daughter, Gillian Bozanic, told The Hollywood Reporter Tuesday.

Siebert was born on March 9, 1938, in Kenosha, Wisconsin, and was a trained stage actor. He made his Broadway debut in 1967 and starred alongside Dustin Hoffman in the 1968 musical Jimmy Shine. The actor took roles in daytime soap operas like As the World Turns, Another World, and Search for Tomorrow to pay the bills while appearing on stage. He moved to Los Angeles in the mid-1970s, where he focused more on television work.

#RIP Charles Siebert; after appearing six times on Broadway and as a charter member of San Francisco's American Conservatory Theater, he appeared on every episode of 'Trapper John, M.D.' as Dr. Stanley Riverside II. He died of COVID-related pneumonia. https://t.co/XfmgeXcSvl

— Mike Barnes (@MikeBarnes4) May 31, 2022

In 1979, Siebert found the biggest role of his career as Dr. Stanley Riverside II on Trapper John, M.D. He starred in all 151 episodes of the show, which ran until 1986. The series was a spin-off of M*A*S*H, featuring Pernell Roberts as the title character. Riverside was the chief of emergency services at San Francisco Memorial Hospital and often flashed with Trapper John.

Siebert’s other notable TV part came in 1987 when he joined Hayler Mills in the NBC pilot Good Morning, Miss Bliss. The show would later become Saved by the Bell and was picked up by the Disney Channel. Unfortunately for Siebert, his part was cut, so he only appeared in the pilot.

The actor’s other television credits include episodes of The New Mike Hammer, The Love Boat, Mancuso FBI, Dallas, Maude, Rhoda, Barnaby Jones, Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman, Murder, She Wrote, and Xena: Warrior Princess. Siebert also appeared in several movies, including Deadly Hero, The Other Side of Midnight, Coma, And Justice For All, The Last Word, and All Night Long. He also directed episodes of Trapper John, Pacific Blue, Mortal Kombat: Conquest, Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, Xena, and Knots Landing.

Siebert is survived by his second wife, Kristine, children Gillian and Christopher, three step-children, and three brothers. His first wife, Catherine, died in 1981 from breast cancer. His son Charlie Jr. died in 2020. Donations can be made to Doctors Without Borders or World Central Kitchen, Siebert’s favorite organizations.

“Charlie was never one to over-compliment, or gush, or flatter,” Craig A. Miller, former artistic director of the 6th Street Playhouse in Santa Rosa, California, wrote. “He was serious about his craft; he worked hard, and he expected everyone around him to do the same. He lifted us all to a new level of theatricality and magic. As an actor, he didn’t want the praise – he wanted the damn notes.”